Finished Portrait

One of Roger's goals was to finish painting my portrait before school starts again so he's been busy working on it during the past several weeks.  He actually started it about six months ago but he kept finding things wrong so he kept changing colors and even changed what I was wearing (he started with a black sweater with a fur color).  Now that it's framed he's still talking about a few more changes plus he forgot to sign it so it looks like it's still a work in progress...............

Lots of Businesses.................

Preparing the condo for another new heat/ac and three sliders creates other needs.  The carpet in the office will have to be changed when the old heat pump is removed next week.  Later in the week Anderson Windows will be putting in three huge double paned sliders.  All of these changes require other things like dry wall, texturizing, painting, new molding and who knows what else (that I haven't figured out, yet).

Today, after visiting Decca Hardwood on Powell Blvd. we found another fabulous cafe "Steakadelphia".  It's located on Powell and 60th and we were pleasantly surprised to find that they also offer a chicken Philly (for Roger).  No question.............. I had the steak one and they were both delicious!

Roger started moving his office and art "stuff" today so the place is pretty messy but we don't care - it's just part of the plan.

Portland is expecting two to three inches of rain plus high winds this weekend so it's a good time to be home and out of the elements.

Happy Birthday, Sheila...................

Special wishes go out to a very special lady.  Have a wonderful birthday, Sheila. 

"If I Were A Rich Man"

But - I'm not.

However, I feel rich because of my easy access to theater arts.  Thursdays at noon the Gerding Theater in the Pearl District offers a matinee so today I found a last minute ticket to "Fiddler On The Roof".  It was front row, center, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience.  There's something special about feeling like you're actually on the stage.  The production was filled with talented performers - beautiful music - exceptional voices.  If you live in Portland, do NOT miss this........................

Piattino - Portland's Newest Restaurant

Roger and I have enjoyed dining at Shiraz on Everett (Mediterranean)  but the owner recently decided to remodel and restructure an entirely new restaurant concept.  It is now, "Piattino", an Italian small plates restaurant.  They have been in business for two weeks so we decided it was time to try out the new menu.  The décor is warm and inviting - lots of wood and beautiful lighting.  The menu is eclectic - I thought I knew most food terminology but I had to ask the waiter a few questions and he ended up in the kitchen to ask the chef.

We had a great time and we're looking forward to returning to try the house made pasta and pizza.

Have You Looked Under Your Bed Lately?

To create a studio for Roger the bed had to go and behold............... there were boxes under the bed - a whole lot of boxes.  Today was interesting in that I found many treasures but also a lot of trash.  As a result, wonderful and beautiful things are either stored in an antique trunk or on their way to Goodwill and other places.  In addition, I organized my desk and files so I'm feeling very "in control".  We'll see how long that lasts............

Another Busy Weekend

Yesterday afternoon the Smiths made a drive from Vancouver BC straight to Jakes Crawfish so they could catch the Happy Hour.  I found a Car2Go outside the condo so I joined them and we had a great time sampling almost every dish on the menu.  Of course that included a few beverages, too..................

It was a long day for them so they crashed at the downtown Marriott and stopped by this morning for breakfast and a walk to the Farmer's Market.  Now they're on their way back to Chico.

We've decided to fix lasagna tonight so I found a box of pasta that I picked up at an International Market.  It took awhile to find the English directions and, to my dismay, they are the kind that shouldn't be cooked first.  Oh, well, I'm sure they'll work fine but I'm a little troubled by the directions.  This is the exact script:

" grease the baking try and arrange 3 layers of raw Lasagne Granoro alterning with bolonaise sauce (prepared with Granoro tomato sauce and meat) together with very liquid béchamel sauce.  Spread the uppermost layer with parmisan and some butter or with extra virgin olive oil.  It is advisable to put the baking tray in oven soon after the preparation so that the Granoro lasagna may absorb condiments while baking.  Bake in hot oven for 15-20 minutes."  Hmmmmmmmmm, a little different than most recipes, don't you think?  I'll keep you posted.........................

7:15 p.m. I'm back again and dinner is finished.  I ended up layering homemade red sauce with thinly sliced mozzarella, zucchini and pecorino Romano - covered the dish with foil and baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Fabulous and Roger asked for seconds so that makes it a winner.  Who would have guessed?.....................

Roger Loves Tea At Zells

 Zells has become our favorite restaurant for breakfast and Roger especially loves to order a "cup of tea".  They present tea in a French Press pot with a choice of tea leaves.  Obviously he gets much more than one cup.

After breakfast we discovered a local Liquidator's warehouse that is filled with anything and everything.  We didn't check out the entire place because that would take many hours but we still managed to find some bargains.  This weekend we'll start fixing up his studio.

Jury Duty in Multnomah County

The past two days I have been occupying my time in a jury waiting room at the downtown Portland Courthouse.  The prospective jurors were all dismissed early on Wednesday but yesterday they started calling names.

I was part of that group so we went to a courtroom and learned that we would be jurors at a criminal trial.  The defendant was accused of ID fraud so I was certain that I would be dismissed but - no - I was one of the "chosen".  The trial was short, taking only the afternoon to hear witnesses so we agreed on a verdict of "guilty" and we were outside by 5:30. 

When I first received the letter calling me to duty I could have recused myself because I'm older than 70 but I truly was curious to compare the justice system here in Oregon to the one in California.  All in all, it was a good experience.

Hero Hair Studio in a Trailer Located in a Food Court

OK.  Many of you have heard the motto of "Keep Portland Weird".  For us oldsters, I wasn't quite sure what that meant but maybe, today, I understand it more.  My experience wasn't exactly "weird" but it surely was different.  My long time hairdresser got married, is having a baby in November and she and her husband moved to Washington DC in July so............. horrors............ where do I go to get my hair cut ???  My hairdresser, Erin, recommended a friend, Jen, so today I visited her salon which is quite different than most.

It's among a group of food carts.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yes, this is it.

The business is Hero Hair Studio and Jen has worked out of the trailer for almost a year.  It works well for her because she can give undivided attention to each client.  It takes awhile to get an appointment so now I know that I'll have to plan ahead.

To add to the drama, she has to move the trailer to another food pod in a month so my next visit will be in another location.

It's a perfect set-up as I can schedule my hair appointment and have lunch at the same time.

Portland, I continue to LOVE you! (and you, too, Jen)

Happy Birthday, RON - Celebrate YOU !!

We hope your day is filled with wonderful things.  Have a very Happy Birthday.  I'll look forward to celebrating with you in October.

Steve & Vicki Visit From Chico

Steve and Vicki are in Portland after their long drive yesterday from Chico, California.  We started the morning with pastries and coffee and then spent some time at the Farmer's Market.

We enjoyed a leisurely day catching up on news and enjoying the temperate weather that unexpectedly arrived (the forecast was for 90 degrees and the high today was about 78 - perfect - ).

Tomorrow, after breakfast, they're on their way to Seattle for a couple of nights and then they'll spend the rest of the week in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, we have sold the guest room furniture and a couple of other pieces on Craigslist so now we can start to get serious about changing the guest room into a studio for Roger.  It will be a busy week.

Kiss of the Spider Woman at Triangle Productions

This play has a strange name considering the story is set in a prison so it was a surprise to both Allison and me.  (We were both thinking it was going to be a comedy or a satire).  If you are in or near Portland this is a "must" to see.  The orchestra is professional, the singers are ultra talented and there is a story to tell....................  The show was quite an undertaking for such a small local theater.

The best thing about seeing plays at the Sanctuary is going to East Burn, a local cafe on Burnside Drive.  Last night we shared a steak salad with spinach and feta and a lobster, shrimp and crawfish macaroni and cheese.  Good?  Yes, actually fabulous!

9/11..... We all have a story..............

September 11th.

We all have a story to tell. 

Gary and I were on a Princess Cruise ship with our friends, Ed and Liz.  We had already visited Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Florence, Naples, Venice, Athens and Ephesus.  On the afternoon of the 11th we had just returned from a tour of Ephesus when our cabin neighbors shouted over the balcony to turn on BBC news.  We quickly turned on the TV and saw the second airplane hit the second tower.

What did we think at that moment?  It was unimaginable................ and difficult to appropriately react.  It was like the moment was frozen into something that our minds couldn't fathom.  It wasn't until later that we realized that we may be in danger in a foreign country.  The ship quickly left to its final destination of Istanbul where we were greeted with men on the pier holding huge guns and scuba divers ready to surround the ship for protection.  Satellite communication had shut down.  Dinner that night was a somber experience. 

Originally, the plan was to spend a day in Istanbul and then fly from Istanbul to New York and then to S.F. the next morning.  Because air flights in the U.S. were curtailed, we had no way to go home.  The Princess Cruise Line kept us on the ship for two additional nights before chartering a plane from Shannon Ireland.  When we boarded the plane we had no idea if or where we would be allowed to land in the U.S. so we were told that the people in Ireland were preparing to house us for the night if the plane could not continue.  When we landed in Shannon and the captain said that the plane had been refueled and we were going to continue and be the first plane allowed to land at JFK, all we could do was cheer and give thanks.  After a very long flight we landed about 2 a.m. the following morning.

I can't express what it felt like to see only one runway lit at JFK.  We were the first airplane that was allowed to land that morning.  After a rapid walk through Customs we were taken to a hotel where we got a few hours of rest.  Later that morning we returned to JFK to an unbelievable sight of thousands of people standing in lengthy lines (many of them taking 7 to 8 hours to navigate because of the heightened security).  When we finally boarded the airplane for S.F. and we lifted into the air, my mind will never forget the sight of huge billows of smoke that still rose from the site of the towers.

The Butler

Yesterday was another "me" day (yes, I have those quite often) so it started with a streetcar ride to the Heathman Hotel where I enjoyed Eggs Benedict with salmon lox.  Then it was just a short walk to the Regal where I watched the movie "The Butler".  If you haven't already seen it, try to get to it before it leaves the theaters.  It was very well done!

Today it's 95 degrees with some humidity so we're really feeling the heat.  Thankfully, there's a new AC in the living room and the old one is cranking in the office with the addition to a fan.  Cold salad for dinner tonight........................

Bella says "hello".................................................................

Visitors From Irvine

Annette is the daughter of one of Roger's oldest friends so when she called to let us know that she and her husband Rooban were coming to Portland we made sure they would spend at least one day with us.

After enjoying breakfast together, Roger and they went to check out the Farmer's Market.  This afternoon they headed to the Chinese Garden and Roger went along because he has never been there.  They returned somewhat unimpressed but after wine and appetizers they all decided that it was good that they went.



Roger was in charge of dinner so we enjoyed chicken kobob, saffron rice and cucumber and yoghurt.  Weather remains stable in the high 70s so it was a great day for all the activities.  The next two days will be in the 80s and Tuesday and Wednesday we're told it will be a little over 90 degrees.  I'm certainly loving the new AC in the living room where we can stay cool in the afternoons.  Annette told us that in Irvine today it was 112 so they're really happy to be in Oregon.  Now 90 degrees doesn't sound so hot..................................

The Birthday That Never Ends.....

Last night Allison and I finally had an opportunity to get together so she treated me to a birthday celebration at a very quaint and interesting little "dive".  It's a neighborhood cafe in the Goose Hollow area, the "Leaky Roof" on Jefferson.  It's very small with about eight tables and 6 seats at the bar and they were packed (good that we had reservations).  On the table you'll see our appetizer of homemade Guinness battered onion rings.  We followed that with an apple and pear salad and stuffed meatloaf.  We love to share dishes and they were all really great.

Thanks, Allison for another new and delightful Portland experience!!

Art in the Park

After breakfast, the girls and I took the streetcar to the Pearl where there is a Labor Day outdoor art show.  Roger is still having a slow recovery so he decided to stay at home and rest.  Artists from all over the U.S. bring paintings, photographs, pottery, glass and fabric art and a variety of mixed media so it's always a great chance to see what people in the art world are creating.

Now that we have an artist at home, though, we're partial to Roger's work !

Now, the girls are in the kitchen preparing another "birthday dinner" so I'm being thoroughly spoiled.  Lori is preparing a brined chicken with a beer can stuck up her butt so this will be another dining experience.

Wild and Crazy Weekend.........

It is possible that I may be too old for a whole weekend of birthday celebration ............ but I'm giving it my best.  Sunday night Pam and Lori treated me to a birthday dinner at Pok Pok, one of Portland's most popular restaurants.  How popular?  Well, would you believe a two hour wait for a table?  Did we stay?  Yep..................  The Whiskey Lounge is across the street so we lucked out and found three bar stools (after stalking some people for about 20 minutes).  Fortunately, they serve great appetizers so we were able to munch, drink and talk through the time.  Dinner finally started at 8:30.  The weather is so warm and balmy we could comfortably sit outdoors to enjoy some extremely interesting Asian dishes.

Truly, a night to remember......................

Party Time With The Girls...............

Lori and Pam brought an extra carry-on with some breakable things so they packed it with lots of newspaper.  When Bella saw the open case and paper she went into a frenzy and started chewing, growling, and tearing at the paper so we couldn't resist a photo.  Paper is her favorite mischief so all the waste baskets in the house are covered.

Yesterday Roger was in the kitchen all afternoon fixing beef shank and fava bean rice with saffron so we enjoyed a great dinner finished off with fresh apricot pie (Pam's favorite).

Today has been ultra lazy.  The girls just returned from a trip to Powells and some shopping for appetizers so the rest of the afternoon is for reading.  Tonight I'm being treated to a birthday dinner at Pok Pok.